Tropical Storm Beatriz (2005)
Tropical Storm Beatriz was the second named storm of the 2005 Pacific hurricane season. The precursor to Beatriz was a tropical wave which formed off the east coast of Africa on June 8. The wave traversed the tropical Atlantic ocean for more than a week before entering the Pacific basin on June 17. The wave gradually developed over the next several days and was determined to have become a tropical depression. The storm was given the number Two-E on June 21 while located 385 mi (620 km) south of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico. Further organization took place and the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Beatriz early the next morning. Beatriz gradually reached its peak intensity on the afternoon of June 22 with winds peaking at 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.54 inHg). After peaking, easterly wind shear caused the storm to become disorganized and weaken. Beatriz was downgraded to a tropical depression on June 23 and was declared a remnant low the next morning. The remnant low lingered for two more days before dissipating on June 26. Meteorological history Tropical Storm Beatriz formed out of a tropical wave which emerged off the western coast of Africa, near Senegal and the Cape Verde Islands, on June 8. The wave remained poorly organized as it traversed the Atlantic basin before entering the Pacific basin on June 17. Ahead of the wave, over southern Mexico, a broad area of low pressure had developed several embedded disturbances. One of the disturbances drifted southward and interacted with the westward bound wave. By June 20, the weak disturbance was absorbed into the tropical wave and the organization of the system increased. By the afternoon of June 21, it was determined that the wave had developed sufficient organization to be declared Tropical Depression Two-E while located 385 mi (620 km) south of Zihuatanejo. A large mid-level trough located over the Southern United States influenced the trajectory of Beatriz, causing it to travel towards the west-northwest. The overall organization of the depression was elongated, preventing quick intensification. However, the convection around the storm became better organized and by the morning of June 22 it was declared Tropical Storm Beatriz. Further development was unlikely as easterly wind shear was causing the convection around the storm to become disorganized and water temperatures were not warm enough to support a large increase in intensity. Beatriz managed to produce modest amounts of convection and after a burst of deep convection during the afternoon, Beatriz reached its peak intensity with winds peaking at 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.54 inHg). Shortly after reaching that intensity, Beatriz passed over the 26°C (78.8°F) isotherm—the lowest temperature required for a tropical cyclone to develop—causing Beatriz to weaken. Deep convection associated with the storm diminished and the persistent wind shear had displaced the center from the remaining convection. This led forecasters at the National Hurricane Center to downgrade Beatriz to a tropical depression on the night of June 23. Due to the lack of convection around the center of the depression, it was determined to have degenerated into a remnant low-pressure area later that night. The remnant low later became detached from the mid and upper-level circulations, and took a slow turn to the southeast before dissipating on June 25. Impact and statistics Since Beatriz remained away from land throughout its life, there was no impact related to the storm. There were no ship reports of tropical storm-force winds. However, there was one report of 35 mph (55 km/h) winds—equivalent to a strong tropical depression—from a ship code-named 9VVN, in the southwest quadrant of the storm on the afternoon of June 22. Beatriz was the first June tropical storm to form since Tropical Storm Carlos in the 2003 Pacific hurricane season. References External links * National Hurricane Center Website * Tropical Weather Outlook for the Eastern Pacific Category:Wikipedia Archives